He lived the first 15 years of his life in isolated silence. Now, he's able to speak to the world — and his message is one of joy.

Patrick Otema, 15, is the only deaf person in his remote northern Ugandan village, and until recently, he couldn't really communicate with other people since he'd never been taught sign language.

He spoke only with his father, through a series of rudimentary gestures.

That all changed when Patrick had the opportunity to take signing lessons with a group of other, similarly isolated deaf Africans.

Image via YouTube

After 10 weeks of learning to sign, Patrick was proficient enough to share his dream: teaching other deaf people.

He was also able to share a joyful message with the world: "I want to wish everyone a happy Christmas!"

Watch the touching video below:

—

Follow Zach Noble (@thezachnoble) on Twitter